In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's return to office alongside an incoming Senate Republican majority, Senate Democrats are working to preemptively obstruct and stymie aspects of the GOP policy agenda.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats sought unanimous consent on a bill that would make it more difficult for federal bureaucrats to be fired but that move was blocked with an objection from Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), according to The Hill.

To be sure, the Democrats may still achieve that goal of protecting federal workers from being fired as Trump and Republicans work to reduce the size of the government before they lose majority control, but they will likely have to go through the normal procedure of bringing the matter to the floor for a vote.

Bill introduced to protect federal workers from being fired

On Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) asked his colleagues to provide unanimous consent to pass a bill he'd sponsored titled the Saving the Civil Service Act, first introduced in February 2023, which would serve to insulate federal bureaucrats from being easily fired by the incoming administration.

In making his case, Kaine warned of President-elect Trump's "attempts in recent years to erode the independence of the federal civil service," namely by reclassifying the hiring and firing status of various jobs within the federal workforce.

He was joined in touting the supposed necessity of the bill by cosponsors like Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who similarly accused Trump and his allies of plotting to transform the federal workforce from purportedly independent civil service bureaucrats into a collection of loyal political appointees who will do his bidding.

Objection blocks unanimous consent

The Hill noted that Sen. Kaine's request for unanimous consent without a vote was not to be, however, as Sen. Schmitt objected and delivered brief remarks of his own in which he warned about the concentration of bureaucratic power in Washington D.C. and said, "What we’ve seen in the last 100 years is the growth of an administrative state that isn’t accountable to anybody."

"There is no secret that President Trump ran on greater government efficiency and reducing the size of government," the senator added. "This is another effort to Trump-proof before Jan. 20."

Indeed, President-elect Trump and some of his top allies who will serve in key administrative roles have often discussed their plans to address the apparent need to slim down the size and reduce the power of the federal bureaucracy.

One way to achieve that goal, which Trump did via executive order in 2020 -- only for President Joe Biden to repeal it with his own order in 2021 -- is to reclassify most federal workers as "Schedule F" employees, which serves to bypass some of the due process rights and other protections enjoyed by workers classified under different "schedules" when it comes to termination of their employment.

Democrats trying to "Trump-proof" Washington D.C. before Trump takes office

Townhall reported that Sen. Schmitt later posted on X that he was "Proud to stand up today and block a desperate attempt by Senate Democrats to 'Trump Proof' permanent Washington."

"So how are Democrats trying to 'Trump-proof' on their way out? Two ways," Schmitt said in an attached video. "First is, they're selling off the border wall for less than 1% of its value."

"I'm just leaving the Capitol, objecting to and blocking an initiative that they put forth to pass another law that would prevent President Trump from shaping the Executive branch how he wants to," he continued. "Possibly firing federal workers who don't show up to work. Only about 16% of federal workers are in any one of these buildings in Washington on any given day."

"So, reform is coming, January 2025," Schmitt added.